The Book Thief
by CookiesAreTheKey
Summary: This would be the full version of my Rudy and Liesel swap roles fic. It basically shows what it would be like if Rudy was the book thief and Liesel was the girl next door. I hope you like it! Pairing: Rudy/Liesel. Rating: T (you'll know why if you've finished the book)
1. A Dead Brother and Himmel Street

**So, my Rudy and Liesel role reversal thing went down with you guys and lots of you wanted me to write a full length thing.**

**And I was like,**

**"Eh, why not?"**

**So, yay! Peer pressure!**

**Just kidding :)**

**I don't know if this is going to be any good at all, but you let me know what you think :)**

**Also, this is based off the movie, not the book.**

**That's because it's obviously easier to watch the movie than read the book and as much as I love the book, it's like the size of a fridge so... yeah.**

**Also, yeah, Liesel's a Steiner while Rudy's a Meminger. Why? 'Cause their names sound cool like that. Seriously. Liesel Steiner and Rudy Meminger. What d'ya reckon?**

**Anything in ****_italics _****is Death talking, 'cause yeah.**

* * *

_"One__ small fact: You are going to die._

_Despite every effort, no one lives forever._

_Sorry to be such a spoiler._

_My advice is, when the time comes, don't panic. It doesn't seem to help._

_I guess I should introduce myself properly. But, then again, you'll meet me soon enough._

_Not before your time, of course._

_I make it a policy to avoid the living._

_Well, except sometimes._

_Once in a very long time... I can't help myself. I get interested._

_I don't know what it was about Rudy Meminger, but he caught me._

_And I cared."_

* * *

_Germany, February 1938_

A young boy of about ten years old was sat with his forehead leaning against the cool window on a train that he didn't particularly want to be on, softly humming the tune of an old German lullaby that he couldn't remember the name of.

His little brother was coughing relentlessly as his mother held him, muttering comforting words into his brown hair.

Into his dangerous brown hair.

Though Rudy (the boy with his head pressed against the glass) loved his brother, he wished he would just stop coughing as it was heart-wrenching to listen to.

But when the younger boy finally did cease his incessant coughing, Rudy wished he hadn't.

The ten-year old stopped humming and slowly looked over at the now silent boy, whose eyes were staring without seeing.

"Mama," breathed Rudy, pointing at his quite obviously dead brother.

His mother looked down at her youngest son and her heart almost stopped.

* * *

Rudy stared down into the freshly dug grave in the cemetery near the train tracks.

His whole body felt numb.

And it wasn't because of the biting cold or the swirling snow.

His mother seemed to be trying to focus her attention on anything but the grave or the small bag that contained her son.

Rudy looked up at the priest who was drawling on in German and rubbed his arm.

He was waiting for the point in his dream when he would wake up.

But as he watched the two young gravediggers lower his little brother into his early grave, he started to get the sneaking suspicion that he wasn't going to jerk awake and be back in the train, listening to his brother cough.

Rudy's mother bit her fist, willing herself not to break down in front of her surviving child.

Honestly, Rudy wouldn't have minded if she had. He would have understood. He wanted to sink to his knees and howl, too.

Just as his mother began to walk away from the grave, something caught Rudy's eye.

It was a small, black book lying in the contrasting white snow.

Rudy glanced around.

No one was watching him.

In one swift movement, he had stooped down, snatched the book out of the snow and stuffed it into his coat pocket.

Then he turned and hurried after his mother, who had finally cracked and had tears rolling down her pale cheeks.

He didn't once look back at the gravediggers who were filling back up his brother's grave.

* * *

Rudy had never actually been in a car before.

But as he sat in the back of a small black one that was pushing its way through the snow, he decided that he didn't like them.

They were too small and cramped. They made him feel trapped.

He looked down at the small black and white photograph of his dead brother that was clasped in his gloved hand.

He wished the boy in the picture was sat next to him in the car, staring in wonder at the blanket of white outside of the window.

His brother had always been fond of snow.

Rudy wasn't overly excited by it.

"You know she would have kept you if she could have, don't you?" said the middle-aged woman sat in the passenger seat softly as she turned around to face him, tucking her blonde curls behind her ear as she did.

Rudy remained silent and looked out of the window.

The car was now rolling onto an unfamiliar street.

He had never been there before, but he could vaguely remember what the woman had told him it was called.

Himmel Street.

It certainly didn't look like heaven to him.

"Here we are," smiled the woman as the car came to a halt in front of one of the many, grey houses. "Come, Rudy. Meet your new parents!"

The woman stepped out of the car and walked over to the two adults stood outside of the house.

The man was very tall and very thin with dark grey hair while the woman was short and squat with black hair that was littered with flashes of white.

The man looked friendly enough, but the woman did not look like she was someone to cross.

Rudy stayed where he was.

Although he didn't like the car, he would rather be in it than with his 'new parents'.

He watched as the woman introduced herself to the two adults.

Once the man had introduced himself, he slowly walked over to the car, tapped on the back window and waved at Rudy, who did not wave back.

The woman, who looked as if she were cloaked in thunder just by the way she walked, stuck her head in through the open door and narrowed her eyes.

She turned back to the other woman.

"Where's the younger boy?" she demanded, her voice harsh.

"He died," replied the other woman. "They had to bury him by the tracks."

That was the point where Rudy stopped listening.

* * *

Liesel Steiner laughed as she and her friends kicked a ball around in the snow.

Her breath sparkled in the air and her nose was bright red, but she didn't really mind the cold.

"Hey, look!" cried one of the boys she was playing with as he pointed over at number thirty-three.

There was a little black car outside of the house and the couple that lived there seemed to be talking to someone inside the car.

It took a few minutes, but, finally, a young boy of about Liesel's age with lemon coloured hair and eyes of the deepest blue clambered out of the car.

Now, Liesel was one of those girls who blatantly refused to fear the opposite sex.

Mostly because every other little girl she knew got very flustered when they were around boys and she was quite determined not to be like them.

Just for the sake of being different.

But when she first caught sight of that boy, her stomach did a funny flip-flop and her heart fluttered.

She stared at him for a while, her heart pounding so furiously that she was sure it was trying to burst out of her chest.

The boy glanced over at her and caught her eye for a brief moment before he disappeared into number thirty-three with Hans and Rosa.

Liesel decided then and there that that boy would be her first kiss.

Whether he liked it or not.

Suddenly, she was whacked in the back of the head by the soccer ball she and her friends were playing with.

"Alright, Juliet? Can we get on with the game now?"

* * *

**And there ya have it :)**

**I have no idea when the next chapter will be up.**

**If I did, I would tell you.**

**Please let me know what you thought.**

**Honestly, it's not my best but I think it's decent enough, right?**

**Also, do you want me to genderbend Max or just leave him be? It's up to you lot :)**


	2. An Accordion and The Girl Next Door

**So, we meet 'Juliet' (Liesel, if you're really tired like me and can't remember what happened last time) properly this chapter.**

**She had taken quite the shine to our rather angsty ten year old boy with lemon hair.**

**Lemon head is indifferent towards her.**

**What am I even saying at this point?**

**Guys, I'm just really tired.**

**And very emotional about Rudy Steiner.**

***sob***

**Also, this chapter is a bit short for two reasons:**

**1) I'm writing it on my phone 'cause my laptop damn near exploded the other day.**

**And, 2) I have a severe case of writer's block that may or may not be noticeable in the chapter you're about to read.**

**So, read on m'darlin's :)**

* * *

Rudy stepped into the squat little house and shivered.

It was almost as cold as it was out in the snow.

But maybe that was just him.

"Please, go in," said Hans, placing his hand on Rudy's shoulder before ushering him further into the house.

Rosa brushed past them, bustled over to the tiny kitchen and tied a pale blue apron around her waist before she began rummaging around in the slightly broken, wooden cupboard.

"Make yourself at home," smiled Hans.

Rosa shut the cupboard door and walked over to Rudy.

She opened her palm to reveal a small lump of sugar.

"Well, go on," she told Rudy.

Rudy went to take the lump of sugar, but before he could pick it up, Rosa curled her fingers around it and held her hand out of his reach.

"What do you say?" demanded Rosa.

Rudy remained silent.

"They've given us a mute," sighed Rosa, glancing over at her husband before walking back into the kitchen.

"Go upstairs," Hans told Rudy, who nodded before beginning to make his way upstairs.

There was only one room upstairs and the sight of it made Rudy's stomach turn.

Not because the room was awful or anything like that.

It was just the fact that there were two beds up there and one of them should have belonged to his brother.

"Rudy?" came the soft voice of said boy's new foster father as he carried Rudy's small suitcase up the stairs. "Are you alright?"

Rudy nodded quietly, though he was anything but alright.

"I've brought you something," smiled Hans, placing Rudy's case on his bed and sitting down.

He showed Rudy the small lump of sugar that he had stolen from his wife when she wasn't looking.

Then he slammed his palms down on the suitcase, making Rudy jump.

"Where is it?" asked Hans, looking up at his new son.

"That one?" asked Rudy, pointing at Hans' left hand.

Hans lifted aforementioned hand.

There was nothing beneath it.

Then he lifted his other hand to reveal the little sugar lump.

"For you."

* * *

Silvery moonlight streamed through the threadbare curtains and illuminated Rudy's tear stained face as he laid in bed, clutching his little black book.

He would never admit to anyone that he had been crying, but, really, it was the only thing he could possibly do for his little brother.

Rudy sniffed and wiped his eyes.

Then he rolled over and began to hum the tune of the German lullaby that he, for the life of him, could not remember the name of.

* * *

Rudy could hear music as he hesitantly walked down the rickety wooden stairs that led into the kitchen the next morning.

"Ah, good morning, Your Majesty," chuckled Hans as he flawlessly played his shiny accordion, making Rudy grin slightly.

"Will you stop that noise?" huffed Rosa as she poured soup into a small, tin bowl.

Rudy sat down in one of the chairs at the table and watched as Hans played the last few notes of the song.

When he was finished, Hans set his accordion down on the stool he had been sat on, sat down in his own chair at the table and winked at Rudy, who smiled back.

"What do you say?" asked Rosa as she set Rudy's bowl of soup down in front of him.

"_Danke_," mumbled Rudy, looking down into the bowl full of vile looking, vomit coloured soup.

"It speaks," said Rosa in mock surprise. "Now listen, from now on you call me 'Mama', _ja_?"

Rudy nodded.

"Say it," said Rosa.

"Mama," said Rudy reluctantly.

"And that filthy _Saukerl, _that lazy pig over there? You call him 'Papa'."

"Papa," grinned Rudy immediately.

He liked Hans a lot more than he liked Rosa.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door.

"Who is that?" muttered Rosa. "Who is it?!"

"_Liesel Steiner, Frau Hubermann!_" came a muffled female voice from outside.

"What do you want?!" yelled Rosa.

"_My mother said you have a son now!_" Liesel called back.

"What's it to you?!" demanded Rosa.

"_I'm here to take him to school!_" Liesel answered.

"Why can't people ever mind their own business?" huffed Rosa as she stormed over to the door.

"Hello, Liesel!" said Hans cheerily as he choked down some more of his soup.

"_Hallo!_" Liesel called back happily.

"That's Liesel," Hans whispered to Rudy who nodded and grinned,

"I guessed that."

Hans chuckled.

"And what makes you think you're good enough for my son?" asked Rosa opening the front door, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the young girl who lived next door.

"I'm almost ten?" replied Liesel, though it sounded more like a question than a reason.

Rosa huffed.

"Hurry up with your soup, Rudy!" she yelled.

Liesel stepped inside, attempting to catch just a glimpse of her glorious new next door neighbour.

"Stay outside, _Saumensch_," scowled Rosa.

Liesel sighed and took a step back.

"Rudy!"

* * *

"My mother didn't really tell me to come and get you," Liesel told Rudy as they walked through the snow. "I just thought you could use a friend."

Though it was freezing out, Liesel's cheeks were burning.

Rudy pretended not to notice.

"So, uh, do you like to run?" asked Liesel awkwardly, rubbing her arm.

Rudy shrugged.

He did like to run, actually. And he was very good at it.

"I bet I could beat you," grinned Liesel. "I'm the fastest in our year. No one's ever beaten me in a race."

Rudy shrugged again.

He highly doubted that she could beat him.

"You don't say much, do you?" chuckled Liesel.

Rudy spat once on the ground, ignoring her question.

"Is that one spit: yes, two spits: no?" asked Liesel.

Rudy spat again.

"I'm glad we understand each other."

* * *

**Sorry for any mistakes in this chapter but let's remember that it was written on my temperamental phone, okay?**


	3. A Beating and a Kiss Attempt

**So, this chapter was really fun to write and I don't know why because Rudy (who's my favourite character) gets really upset in it and it sucks and argh.**

**Also, ya know Franz Deutscher? I'm gonna genderbend him 'cause I want to add in the fight scene between him and Rudy (or Liesel, in this case) and back in the late 1930s boys just wouldn't hit girls.**

**That's not me being sexist or whatever, it's just that I asked my grandfather and he said that boys didn't hit girls. Like, ever.**

**So, he's gonna be Franziska :)**

* * *

"Well, come on," grinned Liesel when she and Rudy finally reached the large, grey building that was their school.

The young girl hurried inside, but Rudy remained still for a moment, looking up at the building with a strong sense of dread rising in his chest.

In silent acquiescence, he followed Liesel inside.

* * *

"And you are?" asked the teacher stood in front of the chalkboard, Sister Maria, as she glared at Rudy.

He tried to answer her but his words had died in his throat.

Liesel looked over at him, worry etched across her face.

"Frau Hubermann's new son," Liesel answered for him.

"I was not addressing you, girl," snapped Sister Maria. "Boy?"

"R-Rudy Meminger," answered Rudy quietly.

"Chalkboard," said Sister Maria, taking a piece of chalk off her desk and holding it out. "Write it."

Rudy's stomach sank and his heart rate increased.

On shaky legs, Rudy slowly began to make his way towards the chalkboard.

"We don't have all day," spat Sister Maria as she shoved the chalk into Rudy's quivering hand.

Carefully, Rudy placed the chalk against the board and took a deep breath before drawing a line.

He couldn't breathe properly. There was just not enough air in the room. There wasn't enough air in Molching. There wasn't enough air in Germany. There wasn't enough air in the world.

In silent defeat, Rudy drew another line through the other one.

_X_

The classroom erupted into raucous laughter that felt like knives in his chest.

He knew it wasn't the right letter, but it was the only one he knew.

_X_

"Sit down, boy," said Sister Maria, taking the chalk out of Rudy's hand.

Rudy turned around making the class laugh louder.

The only one who wasn't laughing, the only one who wasn't even grinning was Liesel.

She just looked slightly upset.

* * *

"_Dummkopf! Dummkopf! Dummkopf_!"

Their words echoed in Rudy's ears as he stood in the playground, blood pounding in his ears.

A boy who looked slightly older than him walked out of the circle of kids, sneering as he shoved a book into Rudy's face.

"Can't you even read yet?!" demanded Ludwig Schmeikl, pointing at the words in the book that Rudy couldn't understand. "Go on! Read one word! Read one-!"

Rudy let out an angry shout and walloped Ludwig across the face, knocking him to the snowy ground.

"Shut up!" bellowed Rudy, sitting on Ludwig's stomach and punching him in the chest.

The boy kneed and hit and punched the older boy as hard as he could as the other kids cheered him on and shouted insults at Ludwig.

Rudy smacked Ludwig across the face again and got in one more punch before he was dragged off the bleeding boy and whacked on the backside by a livid Sister Maria.

* * *

"I bet that wasn't your first fight!" grinned Liesel as she followed Rudy out of the school, a look of awe on her face. "Ludwig Schmeikl hasn't been hit like that since he peed in Tommy Müller's lunchbox!"

"Ludwig Schmeikl doesn't sound very smart," scowled Rudy.

"He's the dumbest kid in school," shrugged Liesel. "But he shaves."

Everyone (except Liesel) seemed to be carefully avoiding Rudy as he stormed out of the building, his fists clenched at his sides.

Everyone in school had heard of Ludwig's Schmeikl's beating and they knew exactly who had given it to him.

"Do you remember how to get home?" asked Liesel.

"Just because I can't read, doesn't mean I'm stupid," snapped Rudy.

"I'll follow you then."

* * *

"You could probably join the fight team," smiled Liesel.

"You know, you should probably stop trying to be my friend because I won't be here long enough," sighed Rudy.

"Why not?" asked Liesel as she fussed with her gloves.

"I'm running away, that's why not," answered Rudy.

"Where to?" questioned Liesel, glancing over at him.

"None of your business," replied Rudy.

"Well, let me know when you're leaving, okay?" grinned Liesel.

"Why?"

"So I can come with you!" chuckled Liesel.

"You don't understand. I'm serious. I have to find my mother," said Rudy as he stared down at the ground.

"Frau Hubermann?"

"_Nein, dummkopf_," laughed Rudy. "My real mother."

"Good. I'd like to meet her," said Liesel before crouching down on the floor. "C'mon!"

"What are you doing now?" asked Rudy, looking down at the girl.

"Racing you. Just to the end of the street," answered Liesel. "I'll bet you a kiss I can beat you."

"Why would I want to kiss you?" demanded Rudy.

"What does that matter?" asked Liesel, glancing up at him. "I'm the one who's going to win."

"And what if I win?" grinned Rudy.

"You don't have to kiss me," Liesel answered simply.

"Ever?" asked Rudy.

"I thought you weren't sticking around?" smirked Liesel.

Rudy shrugged before spinning on his heel and sprinting off.

"Hey!" shrieked Liesel, taking off after him. "_Saukerl! _Come back!"

Rudy glanced behind him and laughed.

Liesel was pretty far behind him.

Rudy turned around and waved at her.

"Catch me!" he shouted, making her smirk and run faster.

She finally caught up to him and slammed into him with her shoulder.

"Really want that kiss, huh?" yelled Rudy.

"Shut up!" laughed Liesel as they got closer to number thirty-three.

Suddenly, Liesel slipped on a small patch of ice and grabbed Rudy's arm, dragging him down with her.

"_Saumensch_!" cried Rudy as they skidded through the snow.

Liesel landed half on top of Rudy.

"I beat you!" she panted, clambering off him.

"It was a draw," Rudy corrected her.

"Draw means: I get the kiss!"

"You can stick your kiss."

Liesel glanced down at Rudy's snow covered clothes and tried to refrain from giggling.

"My God, she's going to kill you," she said, brushing some of the fine white powder off his shoulder.

"Who?" asked Rudy as he walked up the steps of number thirty-three and knocked on the door.

Liesel pointed at Rosa who had just thrown open the door.

The older woman looked down at Rudy's snow-covered jacket.

Then she grabbed his ear and dragged him inside, a scowl on her cardboad like face.

"If you think I am some kind of-"

That was all Liesel heard before Rosa slammed the door.

* * *

**Hope you liked the chapter!**

**I have to say, I love writing Liesel with a crush on Rudy! And that's because I always felt bad for him whenever Liesel would deny him a kiss and it's kind of like payback :)**

**Can't wait until they're a bit older though so I can write Rudy slowly start to return her feelings :)**


	4. A Jewish Woman and Rudy's First Book

**So, I decided the genderbend Max just to shake things up a little :)**

**Also, there's a little bit of Rudy/Liesel in this chapter if you squint.**

**Liesel's feelings are still unrequited sadly, but maybe one day...**

**Hmm.**

**Anyway, my lovelies, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Rudy laid in bed again, clutching the little black book that he could not read and refusing to let the tears building up in his eyes slip down his cheeks.

"Rudy?" came a soft voice from the stairs.

Said boy glanced over at the stairs to see a tall man wrapped in a thin, moth-eaten dressing gown.

"I have just come to say goodnight," smiled Hans as he walked over to his foster son's bed and tucked his itchy blankets up to his chin.

He stopped when he noticed the little book in Rudy's hands.

"What's this?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and gently easing the book out of Rudy's fingers.

"Book," mumbled Rudy.

"Is it yours?" questioned Hans, running his finger across the silver lettering on the front cover.

"It wasn't always mine," replied Rudy. "It was my brother's."

"Ah. Your brother's name was-"

_Was... _thought Rudy sadly, a horrible surge of guilt and grief sweeping through him.

"-Peter Strauss?"

"No," muttered Rudy.

His brother's name had been Werner.

"Right," said Hans before showing Rudy the front cover and gesturing to the title. "Do you know what this says?"

Rudy sniffed and shook his head.

"Do you want to know what it says?"

Rudy sniffed again and nodded his head.

"Right. Well, I'm not such a good reader myself so we'll have to help each other out," smiled Hans. "'_The Gravedigger's Handbook_'."

* * *

A middle aged woman glanced out of her window, a panicked look on her wrinkled face.

Outside was chaos. Complete and utter chaos.

Jewish shops and places of worship were being smashed by German soliders and people were being dragged out of them forcefully and then beaten mercilessly.

There came a pounding on the door.

"_Aufmachen! _Open up!"

The woman gasped and backed away from the window, just as her daughter, Maxine, grabbed her arm to steady her.

The door burst open and a soldier with a worried expression on his face hurried in.

Maxine breathed a sigh of relief.

It was Walter, her best friend in the world.

"He told me I can only take one," said Walter, breathing heavily.

"Take Maxine!" cried the older woman, shoving her twenty year old daughter towards the young man.

"No, Mama!" cried Maxine.

"It's no time for heroics, Maxy, it's one or none!" cried Walter.

"Go, Maxine!" exclaimed the older woman.

Maxine glanced over at Walter and then her mother, an awful sense of dread rising in her chest.

"Forgive me," she breathed, kissing her mother on the cheek before taking the book that Walter was holding out for her.

"The papers are inside. They don't look great but they'll have to do," muttered Walter as he ushered his best friend through the door.

Maxine walked down the chaotic street, clutching the book, her lifeline, to her chest.

_"When I finally caught up with Maxine Vandenberg's soul, it was this moment that haunted her the most. For leaving her mother. For feeling that awful, light-headed relief... that she would live."_

* * *

"Jesse Owens, the fastest man on earth!" shrieked Liesel as she and Rudy sprinted down the now snow-free Himmel Street.

Liesel had once told Rudy about her obsession with the athlete Jesse Owens. He was her role model, her idol.

Once, she had even gone as far as tying her hair back and covering herself in charcoal so she could look like Jesse Owens when she ran the one hundred metres at Hubert Oval.

That fiasco had gotten her a right telling off.

"Careful, Liesel!" called Hans, who was at the top of the ladder Liesel had just run under and was scraping the letters from a sign.

"What're you doing, Papa?" asked Rudy.

"I thought you painted signs, not scraped them off," said Liesel.

"The scraping off business is picking up, my dear," Hans called down.

"'A-Accountant," said Rudy proudly, squinting up at the sign.

"He's clever, Liesel," grinned Hans.

"I know," blushed Liesel, glancing over at Rudy shyly.

She didn't know what it was about Rudy Meminger, but even after being on Himmel Street for nearly two months, he still managed to make her stomach twist and her heart soar.

She wasn't supposed to get nervous around boys, but she supposed Rudy wasn't just a normal boy.

He was the only exception.

"What's an accountant?" asked Rudy, who hadn't really noticed Liesel's gawking (even though his father had).

"Something we will never need."

* * *

"'We wish you every... s-success with your... uh, ca-ca-career in the f-funeral... um, uh, bus-b-b..."

"Business."

"In the funeral business," grinned Rudy.

"Well done," smiled Hans, ruffling Rudy's hair. "Your first book!"

"Can we start again?" asked Rudy as he laid back down in his bed.

"Tomorrow," answered Hans, taking the book from the boy.

"But it is tomorrow," grinned Rudy.

"Later on today then," said Hans.

He opened opened the book to the very first page and a small photgraph fell out and landed on the bed.

Hans picked it up and looked down at the young boy in the picture.

"His name was Werner," mumbled Rudy sadly.

Hans smiled sadly, tucked the picture back into the book and placed it down on the bedside table.

"Good night, Your Majesty."

* * *

**So, this was a really fun chapter to write! We got to meet the lovely Maxine and we had a little bit of Rudy/Liesel fluff, Rufy finished his first book and Hans was a general badass :)**

**Please, please, please review! It means a lot!**

**I hope you liked the chapter!**


	5. A Letter and a Book Burning

**It's been a while.**

**Yep.**

**On another note, who's going to see/has seen TFIOS? 'Cause someone really needs to write a Rudy/Liesel TFIOS AU so I can read it and have my heart ripped out.**

**Huh, maybe...**

* * *

Rudy woke with a yell, cold sweat pouring down his face, his heart throbbing in his ears.

"Rudy?" called Hans worriedly as he rushed up the stairs. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," mumbled Rudy, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Just a bad dream. Werner, he-"

"Come here," said Hans softly. "I have to show you something."

* * *

Rudy followed his Papa down the rickety wooden steps that led into the basement.

"It's very dark," he said quietly, rubbing his arms to help with the chill.

"We'd better turn on the light," smiled Hans, flicking the light switch on the wall.

Rudy gasped.

"For you," said Hans.

Rudy stared all around.

It was just a normal basement with brick walls and a stone floor, but the back wall was slightly different. It was covered with an enormous chalkboard with all the letters of the alphabet painted on it in white paint.

There were also several cans of his Papa's paint scattered around the room and couple of dust sheets.

"It's a dictionary. You can write down the words we learn."

"_Danke_."

* * *

_Liesel brushed a curly lock of her blonde (well, black) hair out of her eyes and crouched to the ground on the track in Hubert Oval._

_Her skin was covered in charcoal and she was wearing her older brother's white singlet and black shorts, which were far too big for her._

_"Jesse Owens," she said under her breath. "Fastest person in the world. On your marks, get set, go!"_

_Liesel shot off, her arms pumping in time with her heart, her feet slapping the slightly damp track and her hair streaming out behind her in a tangled ponytail._

_She sprinted over the finish line and threw her arms up in the air, cheering loudly._

_"Jesse Owens has beaten the world record!" she shrieked. "Yes, yes, ye- ah no."_

_"What are you doing?" her father, Alex, hissed from behind her, his arms crossed across his chest._

_"Uh, being Jesse Owens?" replied Liesel, though it sounded more like a question than an answer._

_Alex grabbed Liesel's ear and dragged her back to their house._

_"Look, Liesel," huffed Alex as he pulled her. "You can't go around painting yourself black."_

_"Why not?" demanded Liesel as she glared at the other kids on Himmel Street who were laughing at her._

_"Because you shouldn't want to be black!"_

* * *

"Hans!" yelled Rosa. "Where did you put the flag? If we don't put it out it's going to look like we're saying something!"

"Alright! I'm going to look in the basement!" cried Hans, who had heard the same thing three times already. "Christ on the cross..."

Hans hurried down the steps into the basement.

"Rudy?" he said, when he noticed his foster son sitting at the small desk near the steps, scrawling something on a piece of paper. "I know you like it down here, but don't you think you should be outside? Liesel probably misses you already!"

"I'm writing a letter to Mama," grinned Rudy, turning to face his Papa and adjusting the black hat on his head.

"Could you tell her I could do with a little less nagging?" grinned Hans as he searched for the flag.

"Not that Mama!" chuckled Rudy. "My real mother!"

Hans looked over at him.

"Your real mother?"

Rudy nodded happily.

"I'm telling her about you and Mama and Liesel," he smiled. "Do you think you can send it for me?"

"Of course," said Hans as Rudy leapt out of his chair and handed him the letter.

He looked down at the writing.

It was messy and there were hundreds of spelling and grammar mistakes, but he was proud of Rudy. Very proud.

* * *

"I am not wasting money on a letter that's never going to be answered!" cried Rosa as she strung the flag up by the window.

"What did you expect me to say to him?" demanded Hans as he shrugged his coat on.

Neither of the Hubermanns knew it, but Rudy was sat on the stairs that led up to his bedroom, completely concealed behind the wall and listening to every word they were saying.

And on those steps, Rudy realised something:

His mother wasn't coming back.

There was a knock at the door.

"_C'mon, Saukerl!_" yelled Liesel.

Rudy, momentarily forgetting his sadness, grinned and rushed down the stairs.

"Come on, Papa!" he called as he rushed out of the door to greet Liesel. "Bye, Mama!"

He hurried over to Liesel.

"_Saumensch_," he smirked, making Liesel snigger.

Hans walked out of the door a moment later and shook Alex Steiner's hand before the four of them -Rudy, Liesel, Hans and Alex- began to walk down the street.

* * *

Rudy was quiet as he listened to the mayor talk. He cheered at the appropriate moments and tried to keep the smile on his face, but his eyes kept straying to the enormous pile of books in front of him.

He didn't really understand why they were being burnt. They looked fine to him.

The mayor finished talking and two men hurried forwards with large flaming torches to set the books alight.

Unknowingly, Rudy grabbed Liesel's wrist when the fire began to roar, making her flush scarlet and look down at his fingers closed around her arm.

As everyone began to sing the anthem, a girl of about thirteen shoved her way over to them.

She had jet black hair that was tied back in a thick braid and sharp, cruel grey eyes.

"Hey there, Jesse Owens," she smirked at Liesel, who scowled.

"Shove off, Franziska," Liesel practically spat.

Franziska had been one of the girls that had been taunting Rudy on his first day of school and she had also beaten up Liesel several times since they were little.

"Gotten yourself a boyfriend, have you?" scowled Franziska, gesturing to Rudy's hand which was still clutching Liesel's wrist.

Rudy dropped her hand like it was hot.

"Like the speech then, _dummkopf_?" Franziska asked Rudy. "Your mother was one wasn't she? A communist?"

"What's-?"

"Burn a book," snapped Franziska, not even giving Rudy time to finish his sentence before she handed him and Liesel a book each. "I'll be watching."

Liesel huffed and walked towards the flames. She launched the book into the fire.

Then Rudy stepped forwards.

He didn't want to do it. He didn't see why he had to.

He glanced back at Liesel, who was urging him to burn the book with frantic hand motions.

Rudy took a deep breath before tossing the book into the flickering orange flames.


End file.
